History of the Moon
by Reiuji
Summary: After Juha Bach killed Head-Captain Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto of the Gotei 13, the Seiretei is plunged into chaos. Shaken by the despair and hopelessness that emerges within the Gotei, Himamori Momo is forced to make a drastical decision: She must seek the help of Aizen Sousuke. – Hinamori, Aizen. [spoilers for Ch. 520]
1. The Traitor and his Maiden

**Chapter 1: The Traitor and his Maiden  
**

* * *

She couldn't believe it. She _couldn't._ She was traumatized. Shocked. Hopeless. Void. But why would she be void, one is bound to ask? The answer is simple.

_Head-Captain Yamamoto and Vice-Captain Sasakibe had been slain._

Outrageous, isn't it? The leader of the famous Gotei 13 and strongest Shinigami to date had been slain. And by whom? A _Quincy._ Yes. Truly _outrageous._ Considering that the Quincy had been slain by the Gotei more than centuries ago. However, it turned out that the Quincy the Shinigami had slain were just the _weak_ ones. The _strong_ ones, from what she had gathered, were hiding in a secret place, unknown to the rest of Soul Society.

Another thing that she had gathered from the squads was the name of the Quincy that had slain Head-Captain Yamamoto. He was none other than the Quincy Emperor, _Juha Bach._

__Hinamori Momo, Vice-Captain of the fifth division and the proclaimed "Kido Queen" let out a hopeless sigh. She was writing a report for the Captain of the fifth division. Wait, _Captain?_ Yes, after Soul Society had won the Winter War against Aizen Sousuke, former Captain of the fifth division, Hinamori had acquired a new Captain. Once more Hinamori let out a sigh and looked out of the window. It was a full moon that night. How ironic. That was when suddenly someone knocked at the door of the Division Five barracks.  
"Come in", she responded. She interrupted her work and gazed at the person she had allowed in. She was quick to swiftly bow her head.  
"Welcome, Captain Hirako.", she greeted him politely. The Captain frowned.  
"Hinamori, how many times have I told ya not to be so polite around me? Geez..", the Captain scolded his lieutenant.  
"This is the proper fashion of greeting your superior.", Vice-Captain Hinamori replied formally. Her Captain groaned.  
"Just call me Shinji. I'm no man for politeness. Besides, we are at _war._ Politeness doesn't matter anymore." His look went to the papers Hinamori had prepared.  
"Did ya finish yer paperwork?", he asked.  
"Hai."  
"Great, great. Just wanted to tell ya that all Vice-Captains and Captains are assembling in the Division One barracks.", Captain Hirako informed casually.

Hinamori frowned. Her new Captain was very different from her former _Captain Aizen._ So reckless and he was clearly lacking manners. _Captain Aizen_ was always polite and never lost his composure. Wait, what was she thinking!? She quickly shook her head and heard Hirako call her to go to the meeting in the Division One barracks.

* * *

"So.. to see if everyone's present, I will call your names.", sounded Kyoraku Shunsui, Captain of the eighth division. "Captain Kyoraku of the Eighth is present."  
"Vice-Captain Ise of the Eighth is present.", stated Nanao, Captain Kyoraku's lieutenant.  
And so, all Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 reported in: Muguruma Kensei of the Ninth with his Vice-Captain Hisagi, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto of the Tenth, Kenpachi and Yachiru of the Eleventh, Kurotsuchi and his daughter Nemu of the Twelfth, Ukitake and his newly appointed Vice-Captain Kuchiki Rukia of the Thirteenth all the way to Captain Soi-Fon and Omaeda of the Second, Otoribashi "Rose" Rojuro of the Third and Vice-Captain Kira, Komamura Sajin of the Seventh and Vice-Captain Iba, Unohana and Isane of the Fourth, and, last but not least, Captain Hirako Shinji and Vice-Captain Hinamori of the Fifth.

Well, it was more accurate to call them _Gotei 12_ for now, since, technically, the first division went extinct.  
"Captain Kyoraku", Hinamori's voice sounded politely, "Why have you called the _Vice-Captains_ to this meeting?"  
Every Vice-Captain looked at her with disbelief. Since when did Hinamori become so serene and calm?  
"Good question, Hinamori-kun.", replied Captain Kyoraku seriously. "As you know, our Head-Captain Shigekuni "Genryuusai" Yamamoto has been slain by the enemy leader Juha Bach."  
"So are we here to mourn his death?", she asked.  
"Not quite.", Kyoraku stated. "The reason why I called both Captains and their respective Vice-Captains in is to discuss very important issues."  
"Like?", Vice-Captain Kira inquired,  
"Selecting a new Head-Captain for example?", Vice-Captain Hisagi suggested.  
"Yeah, that sounds like the most logical option right now.", commented Matsumoto. "Without a leader, Soul Society will fall."  
"I concur.", Rose agreed. "The Vandenreich will probably speculate that we will be helpless without Head-Captain Yamamoto."  
"But there is no one who can replace Genryuusai-dono!", Komamura insisted with rage, his default emotion at the moment.  
"I agree, Sajin.", Shinji finally spoke. "No matter whom we select, he will still be leagues below Yamamoto-san. This Juha Bach fellow will decimate him even faster."  
"Not to mention that his Bankai will be stolen..", Hitsugaya added.

After minutes of heated discussion followed a wave of silence. It was obvious that all parties exhausted their arguments and don't know what else could be added to the discussion.  
"Well", Captain Kyoraku broke the silence, "After giving it plenty of thought, I too agree that we shouldn't make rash decisions. There is no one who can replace Yama-jii.. and personally, I don't even want anyone to replace him." Everyone looked at him with surprise and made approving glares.  
"However", he continued, "This status quo can't go on for much longer. The Gotei is plunged into deep chaos because there is no true leader. If this goes on for much longer, they will fight amongst each other and eventually we will fight each other as well, because we have different mindsets of Yama-jii's.. successor."  
"So what is your suggestion, Captain Kyoraku?", Vice-Captain Hinamori inquired calmly.  
"All divisions need to establish a strict order within their divisions to prevent havoc. That is a short-term solution, but it should work for now. Until we found an appropriate successor for Yama-jii. "  
Everyone nodded slowly. "I take it there are no objections?", Kyoraku asked everyone. Silence.  
"Dismissed."

* * *

Hinamori did not return to the Division Five barracks until the moon stood high in the Seiretei; she had gone to kill several Menos Grande that wreaked havoc in a forest nearby, killing several civilians. But when she arrived, she wished she had not. The Division Five barracks were desolate; half of them were destroyed.  
"No one's there..", she whispered and clung onto the hilt of her Zanpakutou. Carefully, she looked around to search for any familiar faces.  
"Captain Hirako?", she yelled. No one was answering. "Akiyama-sanseki*?", she yelled the name of her newly appointed Third Seat again to the void. Still, no answer.  
"Damn..", Hinamori cursed. "What happened..?" She sighed and slowly walked around the Division Five barracks, hoping anyone would be found to tell her what happened.  
Soon, she arrived at the door of her chambers and opened it slowly. But what she saw went way beyond her wildest nightmares.

Blood everywhere, the smell of dead flesh was poising her nostrils and she covered her mouth with her hand to escape the disgusting smell. All of the bodies were torn into pieces. Terrified from the image, she rushed to her desk and looked underneath. No one.  
But Hinamori was sensing the reiatsu of someone in her chambers. _Kido_, she thought.  
"Kai.*"  
The Kido spell dissolved, revealing a tall figure in front of the relatively short Vice-Captain. He was quick to get on his knees.  
"Lieutenant.", he stated.  
"Akiyama, what are you doing here?", the addressed asked sternly.  
"Hiding, Lieutenant.""From what?", she yelled. "And where's the Captain?"  
"Captain Hirako is headed to battle, Lieutenant. The Vandenreich-"  
"What about them!?", she screamed fiercely and grabbed Akiyama at his Shihakusho.  
"The Vandenreich.. sent soldiers to deal with the lower level Shinigami in the Seiretei..". he gasped. "Most of the members of our division are dead. The ones skilled in Kido managed to hide somewhere.." Hinamori let him go.  
"What..", she whispered. "What about the other divisions?"  
"I don't know, Lieutenant.", Akiyama responded sadly. "The Captain didn't utter a word..""Bastard..", Hinamori growled and clenched her fists. "I thought he would be Captain enough to protect his own division."  
"The Captain put a protective Kido around our barracks.. but he had to leave for battle.", Akiyama tried to comfort her. Hinamori did not say anything to him and turned away.

"Lieutenant", he said. No response. "Run." That statement made her widen her eyes. "Run..?", she repeated.  
"Yes.", Akiyama said. "Neither order nor safety do exist in Soul Society anymore, Lieutenant. Please escape."  
"I can't run, you idiot!", she yelled and slapped him. "Soul Society will fall if we run! We are the Gotei 13, we need to _protect_ the innocent!"  
THE GOTEI IS NO MORE!", Akiyama screamed. "Don't you see..? Even Kurosaki Ichigo.. has likely been imprisoned by the Vandenreich."  
"But the Royal Guard-"  
"The Royal Guard won't come to save those who fail to protect Soul Society, Lieutenant."

Hinamori was shaking in fear as she thought over her Third Seat's words. He was right. _He was right._ Soul Society.. was lost. Literally. The Head-Captain Yamamoto and Kurosaki Ichigo were the pillars, no; the chief protectors of the Seiretei and of all Soul Society. Without them, everything crumbles. But Yamamoto had been slain. Kurosaki Ichigo was in all likelihood taken prisoner by the Vandenreich. Hinamori sunk her head and let out tears of anger. _Juha Bach._ How she hated that man. For driving Soul Society into chaos.  
"Lieutenant?", Akiyama uttered nervously and put a hand on her shoulder. She was sobbing audibly. _Poor girl_, Akiyama thought. He had never seen her so helpless since the Winter War.  
"If only Captain Aizen was still around.. he is a genius.", he sighed. Hinamori widened her eyes. _Captain Aizen?_, she thought. _Wait a minute.. that's it! That solves the puzzle of our despair right now!  
_"You're right.", she responded firmly and headed for the exit from her chambers. Akiyama, puzzled, followed her swiftly. "Wait, Lieutenant, where are you going?"  
"To the Avici prison.", she replied.  
"Avici? Wait, no.. you can't possibly-"  
"He is Soul Society's joker, Akiyama-sanseki. If this doesn't work, then Soul Society falls."  
"But.. this is against the law!", Akiyama insisted. Hinamori turned around and gave him a frowning look.  
"What law, Akiyama-sanseki? There is no law in chaos, nor in _war._"  
"But Lieutenant-"  
"NO BUTS!", she cut him off sharply. "You will follow me, Akiyama-sanseki. This is an order from your Vice-Captain, as of now Deputy Captain of Division Five!"  
"H-Hai, Vice-Captain Hinamori!", he shouted firmly. He had to trust her. He simply had to. She smiled.  
"Alright then, onto the Division One barracks!"

* * *

It was no surprise to her that the Division One barracks appeared larger than they were at night. The smell of death was most apparent here; the first division was the largest division of the Gotei 13. Hinamori pushed the port, attempting to open it but no avail.  
"What's wrong?", Akiyama, next to her, asked.  
"The door is sealed by Kido.", she stated calmly. "We cannot enter unless we dispel it."  
And so, Hinamori pressed her hands on the port and let her reiatsu flow through it. Akiyama gazed in awe as his Vice-Captain concentrated deeply. She truly was the Kido Queen. "Kai", she said and the door rushed open. A shot of air breezed through, not fazing them. Hinamori and Akiyama clung onto their Zanpakutou as they entered the darkness inside the Division One barracks. Akiyama was quick to seal the door behind them and ignited a reiatsu ball so that they have light.  
"Lieutenant", he said.  
"Yes?""Why did we come to the Division One barracks?"  
"The Avici prison is located underneath these barracks, Akiyama-sanseki.", Hinamori responded politely. He nodded and followed his Vice-Captain.

They stopped eventually when they went down the stairs underneath the underground prison Avici.  
"Why did you stop?", Akiyama asked surprised.  
"Akiyama-sanseki"  
"Hm?""This is forbidden ground. Should my plan fail, I will probably be sentenced to the same level as Captain Aizen.", she said.  
"Why are you telling me this now?", Akiyama wanted to know.  
"You can either turn back now or follow me in my quest to save Soul Society, Akiyama-sanseki."  
Akiyama thought for a moment. What his Vice-Captain said made a lot of sense. He could either turn around and live as a law-abiding Shinigami or follow Hinamori and risk imprisonment for treason or even death. He shook his head. It was too late to turn back now.  
"I will always follow Vice-Captain Hinamori", he replied. "Such dictates the law of the Seiretei." She smiled.  
"So you will stand by me?"  
"Always, Lieutenant. Always.", he promised.  
"Well then. Let's put our plan into motion."

They entered the gruesome Avici prison and earned hateful looks from the prisoners that were incarcerated. But the two Shinigami ignored them all and continued walking. It almost seemed like an endless walk and Akiyama was clearly exhausted.  
"Lieutenant, you forgot to mention in which level Captain Aizen is sealed..", he groaned.  
"We arrived.", she stated as she stopped. Akiyama gazed at the banner that displayed the name of the prison level.  
"This is the lowest level of the Avici prison and where Captain Aizen was imprisoned.", Hinamori stated. "Are you ready?" Akiyama nodded.  
"Muken", she spoke and the door opened at that command.  
They slowly walked in the darkness and saw a figure that was bondaged with black bondages. Akiyama stepped behind his Vice-Captain as she slowly undid those bondages to reveal the traitor's face. Feeling the movements, he opened his eyes, making Hinamori smile.

"It's been long, Captain Aizen.."

_to be continued_

* * *

*sanseki = Third Seat  
*Kai = release


	2. Tabula Rasa

**Chapter 2: Tabula Rasa**

* * *

_"It's been long, Captain Aizen.."_

Hinamori released all of his facial bondages so that he could move around his head freely and see with both eyes. The former Captain of the fifth division and condemned traitor studied his former Vice-Captain. Her eyes had become less childish, but harder and cooler. Her face was more like that of a woman rather than a teenage girl. She still kept her hair tied in that characteristic bun, but her hair appeared more silky and straight. Her fringe was less wavy and very straight and two strands were left over on both her ears. Overall, Hinamori was much more regal and noble in her looks than when she was still under him.

"You changed your hair." Aizen stated calmly. Hinamori did not react. "It suits you." Upon hearing that, Hinamori smiled briefly, only visible to a keen eye.

"So what did you come here for… Hinamori-kun?" Aizen asked and grinned mockingly.

"That's Vice-Captain Hinamori to you." she responded sternly and gazed at him coldly.

"So harsh, Hinamori-kun.." he commented, "But that still does not answer my question."

She turned away from him and clenched her fists. Third Seat Akiyama, who had been watching the brief scene, reached out to support his lieutenant, causing her to distance herself from him. Aizen chuckled.

"You, however, haven't changed… Akiyama-kun." he remarked.

"Third Seat Akiyama to you, Captain Aizen." He chuckled again. Aizen certainly did not expect that the timid Shinigami who always came to ask him for help now was a seated officer. Akiyama's admiration for Aizen was not as fanatic as Hinamori's, but he admired him nonetheless. And it still existed since Akiyama was still referring to him as _Captain Aizen._

Akiyama turned his attention to his Vice-Captain Hinamori, who still did not move.

"Lieutenant", he said. "Is everything alright?"

Suddenly, Hinamori raised her head abruptly. She turned her head and looked directly into the eyes of her Third Seat and said cheerfully: "Yes, Akiyama-sanseki. Everything's okay." As she turned around, her glare was serious again. Akiyama stepped back and watched as Vice-Captain Hinamori walked towards Aizen.

"You want to know what I came here for, right?", she asked firmly. Aizen did not move.

"The Gotei 13.. _has fallen._"

Aizen held his breath for a brief moment. His eyes widened for a bit. Yes, Aizen Sousuke was clearly surprised. He certainly did not expect that. The Gotei won the Winter War just 17 months ago, he himself was sentenced to 20,000 years in the lowest level of the Avici prison, Muken – and everything appeared to go on normally. _Not everything._ Even though the black bondages were very tight and made him unable to hear almost everything, he _did_ notice a big explosion. It was the Division One barracks that had exploded, located above his prison. Then, two people stepped inside Muken and offered Aizen the opportunity to be freed in exchange of joining with them. Aizen did not recognize these individuals, albeit being very powerful. And as expected, he declined.

Other than that, nothing came to his knowledge even remotely hinting to the fall of the Gotei 13.

Regaining his composure, Aizen stared at Hinamori. "When did this happen?"

"A few days ago", she responded. "It was an unexpected ambush. We clearly outnumbered them, but they still murdered Shinigami after Shinigami." Aizen nodded.

"And the Captains?"

"The Captains were all severely injured. Captain Kuchiki was found in a pool of blood and Captain Zaraki was decimated. Both are in a state of coma right now because Captain Unohana saved them from death. However, Head-Captain Yamamoto.." she paused and lowered her head, her voice getting quieter, "he and Vice-Captain Sasakibe died on the battlefield."

Again, Aizen held his breath. Even he himself was not able to kill Yamamoto. Quite the contrary, he tried to avoid fighting him because his brute strength clearly outdid Aizen's. So whoever killed Yamamoto must clearly be stronger than him, if not leagues above him. Wait a minute, why did Aizen care? He _wanted_ to decimate the Gotei. He did not achieve this, but these mysterious enemies did.

"Interesting, Hinamori-kun." he responded after a long time of silence. "But what do you hope to gain by coming here and telling me this?"

"I hoped-"

"…to ask me for help?" Aizen finished. He chuckled at the girl's naivety. For one moment he thought she had changed anything other than her outer appearance, but he was wrong. She still was Aizen's hopeless admirer, seeking his help whenever trouble arose.

She nodded hesitatingly, confirming Aizen's thoughts. His chuckle became a laugh.

"Why are you laughing!?" she asked angrily.

"My dear Hinamori-kun", he started, "I came to know you as an intelligent girl, always carefully calculating your decisions." She twitched.

"Why did you think a condemned _traitor_, someone who _kills Shinigami at will_ would help saving the institution he wanted to destroy?" Hinamori didn't answer twitched again. He had a good point. _Why?_ She could end up being sentenced to prison or even death for conferring with a condemned traitor on the lowest level of the Avici prison. She turned away from him again.

"Am I correct to assume that you refuse?", she asked. She knew it was a rhetorical question, as she already _knew_ what Aizen's answer would be. He stayed silent. Clenching her fists, Hinamori moved to the exit of Muken and instructed her Third Seat to follow her. He did not.

"Akiyama-sanseki", she reminded him.

"Why", he whispered. "Why are you.. Refusing us?"

Hinamori turned to her Third Seat. "Akiyama-sanseki, we need to go."

"No, Lieutenant." he declined. "This was _your_ plan. Thus it is _your_ responsibility to ensure its success."

"Akiyama-sanseki, it clearly failed. Let us go!" she ordered.

"One of the Third Seat's responsibilities is to ensure that his Vice-Captain's responsibilities are taken care of." Akiyama shot back. "My responsibility is to ensure that your plan succeeds." Akiyama was shaking. He didn't know why he defied the orders of his superior, but something inside him told him that it was the right thing to do at the moment.

Turning to Aizen, he said in a serious voice: "Captain Aizen, you are our only hope. No one in the Seiretei is capable of defeating _them!_" Aizen was not impressed. "No Captain is able to stand up to _them_."  
"Why don't you turn to your saviour, Kurosaki Ichigo?", Aizen asked.

"Kurosaki Ichigo's whereabouts are unknown. He.." Akiyama turned his gaze to Hinamori for a brief moment and back to Aizen. "He was likely taken prisoner by the enemy." The third shock came for Aizen, making Akiyama nod.

"Not even Kurosaki Ichigo was able to stand up to them." he informed. "That's how powerful the enemy is."

Aizen's shock did not cease. Kurosaki Ichigo was _his_ plan; he was the one who defeated him. And now Kurosaki Ichigo has failed against one mysterious enemy. His shock changed to anger that he clearly showed.

"Who is.. the enemy?" he growled quietly and threateningly. Upon hearing that, Hinamori moved towards Aizen again and stood before her Third Seat.

"Head-Captain Yamamoto lost against the enemy leader. He is the leader of the Vandenreich and his name is _Juha Bach._"

Now, Aizen lost it. The _Vandenreich_? _They_ were behind this? Aizen clenched his fists furiously and his calmness faded rapidly. Akiyama did not pay much attention to this and instructed his Vice-Captain to leave the Muken prison. He was disappointed. It was a real stretch, but due to the hopelessness of the situation Akiyama hoped his Vice-Captain's plan would work.

"Wait." sounded Aizen's voice, trying to masquerade his anger. The two halted and turned around.

"Who is your superior?" Aizen asked seriously. Hinamori became nervous as she felt his reiatsu rising. This was not a good sign.

"Captain Hirako", she murmured. Aizen looked at Akiyama and then back at her.

"Not anymore." he spoke and instructed them to come to him. Even though they were clearly confused, they still obeyed.

"What are you-", she attempted to ask.

"Free me."

"What?"

"I said free me, Hinamori-kun." Aizen ordered. Widening her eyes, Hinamori hesitated.  
"I thought you weren't going to help us.." she argued. Now she was even more confused. Just what was Aizen thinking?

"I'm not helping you, Hinamori-kun, neither am I helping the Gotei 13." he clarified. "But I do hate that certain man and his rotten _empire._" His voice growled fiercely at that last word. He didn't utter Juha Bach's name, but it was obvious that Aizen was referring to him.

This made Hinamori laugh a little. That was all she needed to know from Aizen.

"Akiyama-sanseki, undo his bondages." she instructed her Third Seat.

"H-Hai, Vice-Captain Hinamori!"

As she watched her Third Seat undo the criminal's bondages, a smile came onto her lips once more.

_"Welcome back, Captain Aizen."_

* * *

The three Shinigami exited the Avici prison and went to the Division Five barracks. Aizen felt strange coming back here. It's been long since the last time he laid his eyes onto these barracks. He frowned a little. Nothing had changed; the barracks were still the same. His former Captain, Hirako Shinji, hadn't changed anything, much to his dismay. Well, _one _thing had changed_. _

There were Shinigami lying in a pool of blood, their parts scattered everywhere. Not only their body parts, but also fragments of their Zanpakuto were lying everywhere. Hinamori was struggling to keep her composure; she felt the need to scream and make the enemy pay for this bloodshed. She let out a small cry of pain, but Aizen quickly laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay strong." he told her, not knowing why. He didn't know these people and this division meant nothing to him, as they were pawns for his greater plan. So why did he care to comfort his former lieutenant? He really didn't know. And didn't care.

"Whose doing is this?" he asked rhetorically. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from the Vice-Captain.

"The Vandenreich's, Captain Aizen." she replied sobbingly. "They massacred most of the Gotei 13 divisions, not just the fifth."

"It.. It was a bloodbath.." Akiyama added shakingly. "My potency in Kido was big enough to mask my reiatsu and go unnoticed, but I watched it all.. Shinigami after Shinigami was slaughtered."

"Where was your Captain?"

"The Captain… went to fight the Sternritter… along with the other Captains." Akiyama responded, still shaking.

"Did he tell you _where_ he would be?" Aizen turned to Hinamori.

"I was on duty in a small forest outside the Seiretei… some Menos were wreaking havoc." she said truthfully. "I learned of this massacre when I returned from my mission." Aizen frowned and turned to Akiyama who shook his head.

Aizen exited the Division Five barracks and inspected the area around him. Himamori quickly followed him and asked what he was doing. His answer was an instruction to follow him.

"Captain Aizen" she said. "What-"  
"Look."

She turned her attention to whatever Aizen was pointing at and was shocked.

"That's-!"

"Correct. This is Hirako Shinji's reishi residue. It disappeared halfway through." Aizen explained. Hinamori stared at Aizen in awe because he was able to tell whose reishi this was.

"What does this mean, Captain Aizen?"

"This means", he answered, "That someone must have opened a _Garganta._"

_What? Garganta!?_ "But-"

"Hirako Shinji is in _Hueco Mundo._" he concluded. "Akiyama-kun."

"Y-Yes?" the young Shinigami murmured, cought off-guard.

"You said that Hirako Shinji went to fight the Sternritter along with the other Captains, yes?" Akiyama nodded.

"The other Captains are in Hueco Mundo. And there is a high likelihood that the _Sternritter_ are there as well."

* * *

Meanwhile in Hueco Mundo, there were sounds of swords clashing and blood spitting everywhere. If one looked closer, he would notice the Captains fighting other uniformed people that used reiatsu-based attacks. They were fighting the _Quincy._ But how they were _faring_ was another story. Captain Kyoraku was laying on the floor, Captain Ukitake passed out from a blood coughing fit and the other Captains were down as well. The Quincies chuckled.

"For Captains you are truly weak", one said and looked down at Kyoraku.

"C-Captain.. Kyoraku.." Captain Hitsugaya spat out. "Fight.." A Reishi sword, making him clench his teeth, impaled his hand. "Silence, little Shinigami Captain." sounded a female voice condescendingly.

The other Captains didn't dare to watch. The Quincy got ready to slay Kyoraku and the Captains could hear the sound of the sword sinking down. Kyoraku expected to be impaled.. but nothing happened.

"You think you have the right to kill them just because you view them as worms…" someone said, making the Captains' and Quincies' eyes widen in shock. "It feels nostalgic seeing you again.. _Haschwald._"

_"Aizen.. Sousuke…!"_

* * *

_to be continued_

**SeXysangokittygrl05: **I'm glad you liked this chapter.. I figured that there were way too few "free Aizen" fanfictions, so I made one. Aizen/Hinamori is one of the most underrated relationships in the Manga. Sure, she was annoying with her "Captain Aizen!111", but she's more mature now. Also, as you can see from this chapter, I did away with that ugly short haircut and extended her previous one :)


	3. The Enemy of my Enemy

Author's Note: Thank you all for enjoying this chapter! I will answer your reviews in the end of this chapter! – Reiuji

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Enemy of our Enemy**

* * *

"_Aizen… Sousuke..!"_

17 months ago, Aizen Sousuke was defeated by the Mugetsu technique of his opponent, Kurosaki Ichigo. But to his dismay, it did not really defeat him. It merely _weakened_ him while his opponent lost all his powers from this one attack that was supposed to be lethal. Wait, _lethal?_ No. Aizen was immortal. No one and nothing could kill him. All thanks to the _Hougyoku._ Although he had no control over it anymore, it still prevents anyone from killing him.

What made him angry was the fact that Urahara Kisuke sealed him. _Urahara Kisuke._ Aizen clenched his fists a little. He hated that man. He hated him for outsmarting him every single time. When they were at the academy, he would always beat him in chess. In intelligence classes, Aizen always came second while Urahara Kisuke came first. _Everywhere_ Aizen was always number two. Always.

"Captain…" interrupted him the voice of the fifth division's Vice Captain, Hinamori Momo. That reminded him how he ended up in this situation. He was free. _Free. _However, not free to do whatever he wanted, but _free_ so he could finally get his revenge at that one man and his twisted empire: Juha Bach.

It would be euphemistic if one said that the Captains were shocked. The Captains were severely weakened, but all anger was written on all of their faces. _How did this happen?_ How was Aizen free again? How? _How?_

Their glare fell to Vice-Captain Hinamori who stood close to him, gazing at Aizen worryingly. She slightly tugged at his Shihakusho, but the traitor did not react.

"Hinamori.." sounded the voice of Captain Hitsugaya. "Did you-"

"Yes." was her quick and swift response. She looked at him in pity. "Sorry, Shiro-chan. Trust me." She returned her glare to the Vandenreich soldier Aizen had called _Haschwald_. Her glare became cold, void of any emotion. Haschwald smiled. His initial shock had ceased.

"Well well." he said and smirked. "I really thought I would never see you again… _Sousuke._" Aizen's glare darkened at that last part.

"I thought they locked you up for 20,000 years, never meant to ever be free again." Haschwald continued. "Like a caged bird."

"And yet, here I am." Aizen countered. "What exactly makes you think that I would've served these 20,000 years?"

"True, true." Haschwald complied. "You made yourself a name as a genius. So tell me something, Sousuke." The addressed did not move.

"Why did you decline the proposal _His Majesty_ and I made for you when we came down to your dirty hole?" he asked, smiling victoriously. It was obvious he was trying to mock Aizen, get a reaction out of him.

Aizen still did not move, but he was boiling with rage inside as he realized that it was _that man_ and Haschwald that made the proposal he declined. Not because he declined; after learning that it was _them_, he was glad that he declined. No, Aizen was raging so much because they once more tried to subjugate him. To use him as their puppet and then throw him away. _Touché_, eh?

"Disappointing, Haschwald." Aizen finally responded with a slight smirk of mockery. Haschwald's smirk ceased.

"I expected _you of all people_ to know my character and the fact that I do not like serving under someone. You disappoint me, Haschwald." His voice was more and more condescending as he spoke the last part. The blonde Vandenreich soldier's glare darkened a little.

"I hope you are not here to _talk, _Sousuke. Don't waste my time."

"I assure you I won't be wasting your time. I'm here to prevent you from killing these Captains." Aizen spoke. "Get away from here, Haschwald."

He smirked. That smirk turned into a great, maniacal laughter. The Captains stared helplessly at that scenario. Neither of them was capable to interfere. They could only watch as Soul Society's greatest traitor and Captain Hirako's Vice-Captain conferred with the Vandenreich soldier named Haschwald.

"What makes you think _you_ are in a position to give orders, Sousuke?" Haschwald asked as his laughter finally ceased. "Rumour has it that you lost your Zanpakuto when you were sealed… _Kyouka Suigetsu_, was it?" he mocked. The Captains widened their eyes. _Aizen had lost his Zanpakuto_? They were not told this. Only Hinamori stood firmly by his side.

"Captain Aizen does not need a Zanpakuto to defeat you, Quincy." she stated coldly. "He has capabilities that are beyond _anyone's_ imagination." Haschwald smirked.

"And I assure you, I am not a pushover." she added, wanting to draw her Zanpakuto. Aizen put his hand on hers, preventing her from doing so.

"Enough, Momo." he commanded. It was the first time he used her first name, making her confused. "But Captain-" she interjected. He looked at her and smiled warmly, as when he was still her Captain.

"Let me handle this."

"Stepping in for your lapdog, Sousuke?" Haschwald ridiculed.

"Do not speak of her." Aizen commanded darkly. "Order your men to retreat or I will _make them._" They laughed out loud in mockery, pointing fingers at Aizen. He sighed. They were foolish for not listening.

"Bakudo No. #63: Sajousabaku.*" he said coldly as yellow reiatsu streams caught the Quincies in surprise and tied them all up. Only _Haschwald_ was left. The Captains stared in awe. Aizen spoke just _one_ command, but multiple _sajousabaku_ came out. When did learn that?

"Do I need to repeat myself?" he interrupted their thoughts. "Retreat _now._" Haschwald was not impressed.

_Beep beep._

"Yes?" Haschwald suddenly spoke. "…as you wish, Your Majesty." He looked over at his tied up men. "His Majesty ordered us to retreat." He turned back to Aizen who lifted the bakudo.

"You are lucky, Sousuke." Haschwald said as a portal opened. "But remember this… you merely picked the wrong side of the war." Those were his words as he and his men stepped through the portal that closed immediately.

And after that… silence reigned once again. Everyone's eyes were on Aizen, who still stared coldly at the spot the Vandenreich had departed.

"Captain Aizen", Momo broke the silence. "Is everything alright?" Said "Captain" shrugged slightly, looked at his former subordinate and nodded. Then there was silence once more.

"HEY!" a juvenile voice yelled suddenly. It was Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the tenth division. "Just where do you think you're going, Aizen?" he growled.

"Shiro-chan, he-"

"Back off, Hinamori!" Hitsugaya interjected. "This man is a condemned traitor. And you.. you.. YOU FREED HIM!"

_YOU FREED HIM!_

_YOU FREED HIM!_

_YOU FREED HIM!_

These three words echoed in everyone's ears. Their looks became infuriating, even Hinamori's Captain was furious.

"Hinamori", he spoke coldly. "You have just committed an act of treason. What could you possibly say to justify this?"

She was shaking. Slowly she lowered her head and clenched her teeth, not being able to utter a single word.

"Captain Aizen", she whispered shakingly after a while. "He…"

Everyone was looking at her, anticipating her response. Hirako was right, she had committed treason by freeing the most dangerous prisoner inside the Avici prison.

"He… is the only one capable of saving us… at this point." she finished. Everyone's eyes widened. Just what was this girl saying? "Don't you see…?" she whispered.

"Without him, you would have died today…"

"NONSENSE!" screamed Hitsugaya at her explanation. "Just why did you have to free him!? He is the man who nearly killed you _twice_! He is the one who betrayed your loyalty, _everyone's _loyalty! He is responsible for the suffering of countless people! And yet… yet you still had to free him!?"

"You're wrong!" she screamed back. "I did it because I had no other choice!"

"I would rather _die_ than be saved by a criminal, Hinamori." Hitsugaya responded coldly. Soifon, Komamura and Hirako nodded in agreement. The senior Captains, meaning Unohana, Ukitake and Kyoraku, remained silent.

That was the moment Aizen stepped in. "This is most.. Illogical." he commented on Hitsugaya's statement. "If you fall, the Seiretei falls."

"AS IF YOU CARE!" Soifon countered. "As if you care about innocent lives, about the people you used and abused!" She pointed to Hinamori who still had her head lowered. Aizen regarded Hinamori with a quick stare before looking back at the Captains.

"You are right, I don't care about the Seiretei, or the Gotei, or any of the Shinigami institutions." he agreed. "But I hate this one man and his empire. Juha Bach is my worst enemy." This confused the Captains. They mumbled something amongst each other, only Hinamori shut her eyes, knowing.

"As you know, Kurosaki Ichigo, savior to Soul Society and the Living World, was taken prisoner by the Vandenreich." he added. "Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto has fallen to Juha Bach as well. There are no lynchpins anymore to protect all three worlds."

"What are you trying to say…?" Kyoraku suddenly spoke.

"I'm saying that all three worlds will fall one by one if this continues." Aizen said. "I cannot allow this to happen." Soifon chuckled sardonically.  
"For your own selfish motives, eh?" she asked.

"Perhaps." he answered. "But tell me this… someone who has committed way too many sins should be punished, should he not?"  
"What are you-"  
"Just answer, Captain Soifon." Aizen commanded.

"Y-Yes. Of course sinners should be punished!"

Aizen smirked and turned to the other Captains. "And you, Captains of the Gotei 13, are you of the same opinion as your fellow Captain?"

Hesitatingly, they all nodded. What Aizen said made a lot of sense.

"So we agree on something. Now tell me this: Juha Bach has committed cardinal sins, has he not?" Again, all Captains nodded.

"And I have the same cause as you do, Captains. I too want to bring judgement upon this man. It's as simple as that."

Hinamori looked up. She had never seen her beloved Captain so fired up. Even when he led the Espada in the Winter War, he seemed disinterested at best.

"Captain Aizen, what are you planning…?" she asked whisperingly.

"The answer is simple, my dear Hinamori-kun." he replied with a smirk. "Without Kurosaki Ichigo, you are hopeless. He cannot stand up to Juha Bach at this point. I am the only one who can read him and his dirty tricks like a book."

"Get to the point, Aizen!" demanded Captain Hirako.

"I will win this war for you.." Aizen stated, slowly lowering his hair to how it originally was before he betrayed the Gotei.

"_...by succeeding Shigekuni Yamamoto as Captain-Commander."_

* * *

_to be continued_

**SexXysangokittygrl05: **Thank you for reading this chapter. I explained this and more in the PMs :)

**kamji:** Yep, that's the reason. Stay tuned for that.


	4. A Painful Decision

**Chapter 4: A painful decision**

Hours after Aizen had announced his intention of succeeding Yamamoto as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, he had decided to stay inside the Division One barracks. For safety purposes, Soifon ordered three men of her own division to keep tabs on Aizen and his whereabouts.

However, this did not distract from the fact that much commotion had been caused inside Soul Society by Aizen's intention to become Captain-Commander. Many Captains were enraged at this atrocious aspiration. Toshiro had to be confined inside his own division's barracks for raging rapidly. The same happened to Kensei, who had to be calmed down by his Vice-Captain Hisagi. The senior Captains – Ukitake, Kyoraku and Unohana – were surprisingly calm. The other Captains were not present due to injuries, so nothing could be said about them.

And Hinamori? Although she could have opted to stay with Aizen inside the barracks of the first division, she decided to stay in her own division's barracks with her trusted Third Seat and loyal servant Akiyama. Since this incident, everyone but Akiyama was avoiding her. Even her own Captain did not say a word to her. And Hinamori did not want to talk to him. Not after what she had done, even though it was necessary. It was strange. Hinamori was usually such a law-abiding officer, always upholding order within her own division before Shinji was reinstated as Captain of the fifth division. Now, she was ostracised for freeing Aizen, a traitor, thus making her a traitor herself. She betrayed the law.

"Is everything alright, Lieutenant?" asked Akiyama curiously. Hinamori shrugged a little, being caught with her head in the clouds. She gave her Third Seat a brief look and smiled at him.

"No, it's just about.."

"…Captain Aizen, correct?" Akiyama finished. The Vice-Captain of the fifth division nodded, causing the Third Seat to sigh.

"It's so crazy… Captain Aizen and Captain-Commander…" she said, not being sure what to say exactly. Akiyama nodded knowingly. "He knows what he's doing."

"But the odds of achieving this are small.." Hinamori argued. "There is no way the Central 46 will accept a _traitor_ to be the Seiretei's leader."

"Never say never with Captain Aizen, Lieutenant." Akiyama grinned. "If he has this aspiration, he must be sure to be able to achieve it." She looked at her Third Seat in disbelief and nodded slowly. "I think.. You're right." They laughed a little.

Meanwhile, Captain Kyoraku was inside his division's barracks and let Nanao tend to his injuries a little. He was the only Captain with no need to go to Captain Unohana for his injuries; before Nanao became Shunsui's Vice-Captain, she was a member of the fourth division and thus knew a handful of healing techniques. However, her hand was less gentle than Unohana's. By far.

"Ouchhhh…"

"Calm down, Captain Kyoraku." instructed the voice of Nanao, Vice-Captain of the eighth division. She was currently stitching up the eye wound Shunsui had acquired from fighting the old Quincy. And it hurt. A lot. She understood that it hurt, but the moans of pain that came from her Captain were also distracting her from her work.

"Captain, you need to calm down and relax." she instructed once more as Shunsui continued to moan in pain.  
"Nanao-chan, can't you be a little more gentle..?" he asked humbly but Nanao pouted scolding as a response. Shunsui whined once more.

After Nanao tended to all of his wounds, Shunsui stood up.

"Captain?" Nanao inquired and looked up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Division One barracks." came his short reply. Nanao was still clueless. What could her Captain possibly want there? Shunsui put his hand on her head and caressed it gently. Nanao was caught off-guard by this.

"Captain, what are you-"

"Don't worry, Nanao-chan. I will be back soon." he assured her warmly. "Just stay inside the barracks, okay?" Nanao nodded slowly.

With that, Shunsui left.

* * *

When Shunsui arrived at the barracks of the first division, it was surprisingly dark and bleak. So much nostalgia was associated with that place. How _Yama-jii_ used to scold him when he flirted with girls or peeked when they were bathing in the hot springs. He used to be lazy, so _Yama-jii_ scolded him even more for that. Shunsui sighed. He had looked up to Yamamoto as a father figure. A father he never had. He and Ukitake were like brothers. Ukitake was the more rational of the two, always being against the pranks, and the flirting and taking photos of naked girls in the hot spring. He was chaste and morally conservative even at such a young age.

"Why did you have to go, Yama-jii?" Shunsui whispered against the cold port of the barracks. "Why did you have to die..?" On the next moment he had already regained his composure and opened the port to enter the Division One barracks. _Yama-jii's_ division.

Much to his dismay, the inside was just as dark as the outside. He shook his head a bit and opened the lights. His vision changed from sadness to anger when he saw a certain traitor sitting on Yamamoto's chair. The person was grinning at him.

"Welcome, Captain Kyoraku." he greeted.

"Aizen."

Said person stood up and walked towards the Captain of the eighth division. He didn't mind the men from Soifon's division just standing there like statues.

"I wasn't expecting to be visited by anyone other than Hinamori-kun or Akiyama-kun." the traitor stated calmly. "I'm delighted to see a new face in my presence."

"Cut it." Shunsui demanded sharply. "Just because you were allowed to stay inside Yama-jii's barracks, it doesn't mean you are free to do as you please." He looked coldly inside Aizen's brown orbs. "You are still a prisoner, don't forget that."

"Did you come to mourn Yamamoto's death?" Aizen asked neutrally. "Perhaps you would like some tea to ease your worn nerves?"

"I said cut it!" Shunsui yelled and clenched his fists. "Don't act like this is _your_ division, Aizen…"

The traitor smirked. "I see. You are referring to my proposal to succeed Yamamoto as Captain-Commander, aren't you?" Shunsui shrugged. Aizen hit the nail in the head. He was extremely good at reading people. He walked a few steps away from Shunsui.

"You see, it caught me off-guard hearing that the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 had been killed." he spoke as he walked. "Even I could not fight him directly head-on."

Shunsui remained suspicious and subconsciously clung onto the hilt of his zanpakuto. However, that didn't seem to faze Aizen the slightest.

"But you also have to realize that he couldn't possibly stand a chance against _that man._" It was clear that Aizen was referring to Juha Bach even though he did not utter the name.

"Yama-jii had fought him before." Shunsui stated.  
"I know. I heard of this fight when I was in the Living World." Wait, _Living World? _Did that mean that Aizen was-

"I was a human before I came to Soul Society." he stated calmly. "I was spiritually aware since my birth and therefore knew of Soul Society and its leader." That surprised Shunsui. He never expected that Aizen had been a _human_ before and not a soul born in Rukongai.

"But that's not the point. The point is that I understand why Yamamoto lost against _him._" Aizen quickly switched back to the original topic. "He was outsmarted."

That hit Shunsui. He clenched his fists harder because Aizen's words made sense. Perhaps _too much_ sense. It's as if Juha Bach's fighting style was very familiar with him. That did, however, not answer the question Shunsui had in his mind.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Aizen did not answer. "Because you want to overpower yourself to become Captain-Commander!?" Aizen still did not answer. He smirked.

"The enemy" he initiated after a long time of silence while looking deeply into Shunsui's eye, "too powerful to be fought head-on. You should know this when you face them." He took out a piece of paper and gave it to Shunsui. The Captain of the eighth division recognized the Kanji of his full name: _Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui_. That was the name that was given to him at his birth. He also recognized the broken seal that the paper was previously sealed with: The seal of the Central 46. This was an official letter. He gave Aizen a quick angry glare because he had opened the letter.

"Read it." the traitor instructed. And Shunsui read the letter, carefully. With every word that he stumbled across, his eyes grew wider and wider. By the time he finished reading, the piece of paper slipped from his fingers like a hot potato.

"Do you understand now why I'm telling you to be cautious of the enemy?" Aizen asked him. It was a rhetorical question; Shunsui knew exactly why Aizen asked. The letter of the Central 46 read as follows: _By decree of the Central 46, Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui is nominated to become the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the first division._

"Are you ready to lead not only the Seiretei, but _all three worlds_ into a war that could possibly destroy everyone and leave no one alive?" Aizen once more asked firmly. Shunsui did not reply. Instead, he turned away from Aizen.

"I will have to. It's my obligation." he replied briefly.

"You know nothing about the enemy." Aizen argued.

"I'm willing to learn."  
"There is no time." the traitor interjected. "You are without a doubt one of the strongest Captains of the Gotei 13. However, you still are significantly weaker than Yamamoto."

"So are you." Shunsui shot back. "You said it yourself: You weren't able to fight him head-on."

"Because I engineered Wonderweiss for this purpose? That alone makes you think I'm _weaker_ than him?" It was clear that Aizen was mocking Shunsui. "Is this how you want to achieve victory against the _Vandenreich_?" Shunsui became angry at each word Aizen uttered.

"Captain Kyoraku.. you need knowledge on how to _fight them_ before you can think of _defeating_ them." The way Aizen spoke this was a scolding manner. It's a manner Yamamoto used when he scolded Shunsui. He lost it. Promptly he drew his Zanpakuto and attempted to slash Aizen with it that dodged it effortlessly. Instead, he appeared behind Shunsui.

"A Captain-Commander must always keep his composure. Right now you failed the first test." He touched Shunsui's shoulder and instructed him to withdraw his Zanpakuto. "You are not ready. You are still mourning the loss of your master." Shunsui held his breath. Even without Kyouka Suigetsu, Aizen was still a force to be reckoned with. And once again, Aizen had hit the nail in the head. Both Shunsui and Aizen remained like this for a while.

"Why", he asked whisperingly after silence. Aizen did not move. "Why do you want to lead Soul Society?" Nothing. "You said you don't care. But a leader is only as good as his subordinates." He clenched his fists. "A leader must _care._"

Aizen smirked. "I hate that man more than anything." Shunsui barked.

"Hatred blinds. Did you not say that when Captain Hitsugaya attempted to fight you?"

"His hatred and my hatred are worlds apart." Aizen replied, turning to Shunsui. "He hates me out of admiration, whereas I hate that man-" He stopped. He was telling Shunsui this… why, exactly? "Yes…?" the Captain of the eighth division asked in anticipation. "You hate that man because…?"

* * *

Aizen stepped away from Shunsui. He did a kido spell to close the port of the first division, clenching his fists slightly. Although Shunsui did not see it, Aizen was angry.

The next day, early in the morning, all Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 were summoned to the assembly hall of the Central 46 to discuss Shunsui's nomination for the position of Captain-Commander. The Gotei 13 waited patiently for all members of the Central 46 to assemble. When they did, Shunsui was asked to come forth.

"Kyoraku no Jiro Souzousa Shunsui", spoke the Chairman of the Central 46. It struck everyone with surprise that Kyouraku was from a noble family. The "no" in his name was a noble indicator. "As you have read, you are nominated to succeed the late Captain-Commander Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the first division." the Chairman continued his information. Again, everyone from the Gotei was surprised. It was _Shunsui?_ They were expecting Ukitake to take the position, or Unohana even; she was clearly the most respected and scariest Captain in the Gotei. In addition to that, she had the highest stats in the Shinigami databook besides Yamamoto himself – in other words: She was the second-strongest Shinigami just next to Yamamoto. So why did they choose _Shunsui_?

The Chairman sensed the confusion in the minds of the present Shinigami and proceeded to answer the question. "Captain Unohana is a formidable healer, the best healer we have. Every war needs a healer. While it's true that her true strength lies in combat, she must continue to heal the wounded of this war – in all three worlds." Unohana Retsu looked down, tensing a bit. Ukitake noticed that and shook his head knowingly, his eyes being filled with despair.

"That is why we have chosen Captain Kyoraku for this difficult position." Upon hearing his name, Shunsui nodded and clenched his fists slightly and stepped forward. The Chairman looked at him coldly.

"Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui" he spoke his full name, "The entire Central 46 agrees you are the best suitable for this position. Do you accept this?"

Silence. Shunsui did not move. Cold sweat ran down from his forehead. _Is this really the right thing he should be doing? _ Being Captain-Commander is gradually different from being Captain of the eighth division. A Captain-Commander is responsible for the well being of the _entire_ Seiretei and Rukongai. He is the Commander-in-Chief in times of war. There was a war going on right now. And things looked bleak. Right now, the Gotei was _losing._ He knew nothing about the enemy. Absolutely nothing. Normally he wouldn't be afraid of not knowing his enemies' tactics. But this enemy was different. They killed _Yama-jii_ with relative ease. They abducted Kurosaki Ichigo, the hero that had defeated Aizen. Shunsui quickly realised that winning this war required a power level _much greater_ than Yamamoto's. Kurosaki Ichigo was stronger than Yamamoto, and even _he_ lost. No, this war required the power of _one certain man_.

Shunsui lifted his head and looked the Chairman of the Central 46 deep in the eyes. Without thinking, Shunsui's reply echoed the hall.

_"No._"

Outrageous. Unbelievable. _Atrocious._

These were words that described the sentiments of the Gotei as well as the Central 46 very accurately. Why. Just, _why?_ This is something Yamamoto would've wanted. He loved his former disciple Shunsui like his own son. So why this response!?

"As much as I appreciate your trust in me", Shunsui looked at the Gotei 13 and back at the Chairman, "I refuse. I cannot succeed Yama-jii."

The Chairman was angry. He slammed his fist on the high wooden table and let out a harsh scream. "Do you understand what this means!?" he gritted his teeth. "Soul Society will be _lost!_"

"It won't." Shunsui argued, speaking neutrally. "I have an alternative, far better suited successor to Yama-jii's position as Commander-in-Chief than me." He took a deep breath of relief. His heartbeat calmed down fast. Getting this over with was a mouthful, but he said it. By his own free will.

"This man will lead Soul Society to victory against the Vandenreich." Shunsui added with confidence and looked at the port.

"And who would this man be?" the Chairman asked solemnly.

"I think everyone knows him. He needs no introduction." Shunsui replied and his look went back to the port.

"Come in, _Aizen Sousuke._"

The port opened and the shining light blinded everyone in the room. Only Shunsui wasn't blinded. The silhouette of the former Captain of Division Five and traitor of Soul Society slowly walked forward, his smirk not visible to anyone.

_"You called for me, and here I am."_

**to be continued**

* * *

Wooooooow, that was a mouthful.. having fever dreams really motivates you and gives you a writing kick. Just what I needed. I hoped you like this chapter and thanks for reading and reviewing!

To **Sango**: This was just the beginning of the mess to come. Much more chaos will ensue. Watch J


	5. Prisoners of War

**Chapter 5: Prisoners of War**

* * *

Meanwhile, as the Gotei 13 attempted to stabilise the situation in relative safety, it looked really bleak elsewhere. With Hueco Mundo annexed, the Captains were in a tizzy about this whole war. The majority of Shinigami in the Gotei died, only the most proficient were capable of survival. Everyone needed to face the reality: They were severely outnumbered and right now _losing_ the war.

Outside of their knowledge, it was not only Hueco Mundo that the Vandenreich had annexed…

The sound of water drops echoed on the ground. It was chilling. _Very_ chilling. A low moan sounded, and the individual was unaware. Someone touched him with the palm of a hand. The hand was as chilling as the atmosphere.

"He's unconscious." a sly voice stated, reeking disappointment.

"Shhh, be quiet!" another, much older sounding voice scowled. "If they spot us, it's all over!"

"My apologies, Giriko." whispered the sly one and turned his gaze to the unconscious young man beneath him. He sighed. It took Giriko and him _so long_ to find this person. He died back then. And so did Giriko.

_If __**you**__ had been in __**my shoes**__, would the __**outcome**__ have been __**different**__? Tell me, Ichigo…_

The unconscious one gritted his teeth as he mumbled "Ichigo" over and over again, catching the two mens' attention. They could only pity their fallen comrade.

"Will he remember?" the man known as Giriko asked, earning a shrug as a response.

"Ginjou, wake up…" said the young man, barely audible. Giriko got up and fetched some water and threw it on the one called Ginjou's face. He wondered just _what_ happened to him ever since he had died against Kurosaki Ichigo. He shook his head and turned away.

Ginjou opened his eyes slowly. His vision was blurry and washed away, but he could recognize the features of the person looming over him. Then, his vision became clearer and clearer.

"Are you awake, Ginjou?" he was greeted by the sly, but worried tone of his comrade.

"Tsukishima…" Ginjou recognized his voice. "Are we…"

"Yes." Tsukishima confirmed. "We are dead." _Dead?_ Ginjou rose abruptly.

"We're in Soul Society…" he gasped, astonished, and looked back to his comrades.

"Rukongai, to be exact." added Giriko. "We're in the Inuzuri district from what I've been told."

"What about the others?"

"The others are alive and well. Otherwise they would have ended up here too." Tsukishima looked down. Giriko did not look at Ginjou. He became nervous.

"Oi, what's with the weird faces?" he asked. They didn't answer him. Slowly, Ginjou got up and wanted to walk around, but he was promptly seated back down by force.

"Hey, what the fuck-"

"Quiet, Ginjou, or they will see us!" gritted Tsukishima while Giriko assisted him with keeping Ginjou in place.

"Why are you making such a fuss about nothin'? Everything's alright-" He looked past the corridor. What Ginjou saw was _not pretty._ There we people in white uniforms dragging the Rukongai folk around. Ginjou was able to see their reiatsu.

"What the hell…?"

"Their reiatsu is being sucked out." Tsukishima said. "We are the only ones who not yet spotted."

"Who are these types?" Ginjou inquired. He couldn't believe what he had just seen.

"We don't know." Giriko answered. "What we _do_ know, however, is that it is no good. We need to leave Rukongai."

"Why would these types suck out reiatsu from _Rukongai_ people?" Ginjou looked at Tsukishima. "Come to think of it, how were you able to remain undetected up until now?" Tsukishima grinned and touched the hilt of his sword.

"Ah." made Ginjou. "You used _Book of the End_, didn't you?" Tsukishima nodded.

"So we can still use our Fullbrings?" Nods. "Then why are we waiting like some sissies here? Let's fight our way through!"

"We tried. But Book of the End only worked for a short time interval. It got reiatsu crushed." Tsukishima explained and looked at Giriko. "Giriko was able to alter the soldiers' perception of time and surroundings with Time Tells No Lies. This is how we are able to go undetected." Giriko nodded.

"What Tsukishima is trying to say is this: If you use Cross of Scaffold, it will get absorbed as Fullbring is made out of reiatsu."

Ginjou lowered his head and growled out of frustration. "Then what do we do?" Another growl. "Who would be able to absorb reiatsu at high quantities such as these?"

"We don't know."

Tsukishima suddenly sensed a high-level reiatsu approaching their area. "Come Ginjou, we need to run!" The three Fullbringers arose quickly and ran away.

"Found you." said a grinning voice. They halted. "Where.-"

"Over here."

The Fullbringers looked up in the air and spotted a soldier standing on top of the nearest roof from them.

"You thought you would be able to escape us, eh?" asked the soldier. "How naïve."

"Quick, Giriko, use Time Tells No Lies!" Ginjou growled, turning to the elder man. He nodded and swung his watch in the soldier's direction repeatedly. "You need to alter his perception of-"

"…time?" the soldier breathed, appearing behind the Fullbringers. Ginjou couldn't believe it.

"When did you-"

"Unlike the other soldiers you have fought, _Fullbring_ is nothing new to me." He impaled Giriko with his bare hand, causing him to throw up blood. He fell down like an animal that fell prey to a hunter. Ginjou and Tsukishima were speechless. Blood was oozing from Giriko and his figure became pale. The soldier who laughed like a maniac, Giriko's blood staining his otherwise flawless face, interrupted that horrifying scene.

"Who are you…" Ginjou scowled darkly, holding tightly on his Fullbring ability.

"I am a soldier of the Vandenreich's _Totenkopf_ _Armee_" the soldier introduced himself, "Oleg Van Linkin." He shot an arrow at the two Fullbringers. They dodged immediately and before they knew it, they were engaged in a cat-and-mouse hunt, getting arrows shot at them.

"Those arrows" Ginjou noted. "I have seen them before." He glared deeply into Oleg's eyes. "You are a _Quincy_, aren't you?" Oleg smiled.

"My, of course, Fullbringer. And I presume you're _Kuugo Ginjou_, the former Substitute Shinigami that got killed by Kurosaki Ichigo, hm?" He then pointed at Tsukishima. "And you… you are Tsukishima Shukurou, his partner and comrade. Right?"

"How do you know that?" Ginjou inquired quietly, yet his voice was very threatening. "And what's your business with Ichigo!?" Tsukishima sighed. Whenever the name 'Ichigo' was uttered, Ginjou would get angry. It was _Ichigo_ who killed him after all, and he himself? He died shortly later from his wounds that this pompous noble Captain had inflicted on him.

"It appears you Fullbringers were close to Kurosaki Ichigo." Oleg said. "Kurosaki Ichigo has been captured due being relevant to His Majesty Juha Bach's interests."

"Juha… Bach?" Ginjou repeated.

"You have been a Substitute Shinigami and you don't know who Lord Juha Bach is? How disappointing." scolded Oleg. "You and your comrades are nothing but _amateurs_."

"Shit…" Ginjou cursed and looked at Tsukishima.

"Ginjou… use it." the sly Fullbringer instructed. "It will cause enough commotion to allow us to escape."

"Cross of Scaffold?" Tsukishima shook his head. "Your _other_ ability." Now Ginjou got it. He grinned. "Ah, I see."

"_Cross of Scaffold._"

A large claymore formed from Ginjou's armband, in its center being a circle with a bolded 'X' on it.

"Welcome… to our XCution, Quincy." he said darkly.

* * *

Hinamori held her breath as her beloved Captain Aizen, slowly but gracefully, entered the chamber; his pace was deliberate. She had no idea that someone could look so graceful and _majestic_.

Aizen approached the centre of the floor facing a cacophony of hisses, chants and boos from members of the council.

"_Insolent!"_

"_How dare he put his name forward!"_

"_Has Captain Kyoraku gone insane!?"_

Those and many others were the angry chants Aizen had to face, but he held his composure and took all of it in as he reached his destination. Shunsui stepped a few paces back to allow Aizen the space he needed to deliver his speech…

"Distinguished members of the Central 46! I, Aizen Sousuke, stand before you today for one reason, and one reason only!"

The noise died down, partially due to surprise, by the intonation of Aizen's voice, partly because they needed to satiate their curiosity.

"Thank you." he said as he bowed down a little. His voice was full of sarcasm.

"Like I said, I stand before you for _one reason only._ I stand before you to solve your problems. I find this only appropriate, because I am a problem solver and you have a big problem that needs solving."

"_What problem are you talking about!"_

"_The only problem we have is you!"_

The voices started up again. Aizen stared coldly in the direction of the speakers and then continued to speak.

"But I am no longer a problem for Soul Society. The _Vandenreich_ are." Aizen cringed a little as he uttered the name of his arch-enemy's army. "At one time, Soul Society was a place of _fear_ for our enemies. Whether they be Quincy, Hollow or even Bount, they all feared our presence. They would never have dared to infiltrate Soul Society, let alone _invade_ her."

He slowly walked towards the Chairman of the Central 46 whilst continuing his speech. "But now, in the space of a hundred years, we have been invaded numerous times by _all_ of our enemies. The Bount invaded us, and caused chaos within the Seiretei before they were extinguished. Arrancar as well as ordinary Hollows became bolder, and started to challenge us everywhere we can be seen."

The Captains said nothing, as did the Central 46. They all knew Aizen's words were the truth. "However", he issued a quick glance to the Captains standing behind him, "those are not the worst. Recently, as you all know, an enemy we thought eliminated invaded us. The Vandenreich. _Quincy._ They invade Soul Society undetected not only once but _twice_, and the casualties they cause are massive. Shinigami dead, Seated Officers and Vice-Captains dead and wounded, and Captains gravely wounded." The Captains struggled to keep composure when thinking about the lost ones from their squads.

"The worst that comes of it" Aizen continued while Shunsui, Unohana and Ukitake lowered their heads, sensing what is about to come, "is that our Captain-Commander, Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto-dono, is killed by the leader of the Vandenreich, _Juha Bach_." Shunsui gritted his teeth and clenched his fists since he held _Yama-jii_ the dearest of them all. Unohana subtly placed her hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"We lost an important part of Soul Society, of our _history_. Then, they are allowed to leave unpunished, and even leave a garrison behind to keep, watch and harass as they see fit. Answer me this, why has this been allowed to happen…?" Aizen paused, giving the council as well as the Captains time to respond if they wanted. His gestures were met with silence.

"….I'll tell you why! We have become weak. The hard shell that Soul Society once was has become a soft underbelly. An underbelly that can be kicked at any time. You are all weak. You depend on too many external factors. Tell me, where is Kurosaki Ichigo? Where is Urahara Kisuke? Where are the much vaunted Royal Guard? These people are supposed to be the most exceptional former Captains of our previous generations, having blessed Soul Society with their greatest of inventions and discoveries. Yet they only care what's going on within the Royal Realm." His powerful words were met with silence. No one, neither from the Captains nor the council, stepped forward to rebuke Aizen's arguments. They simply couldn't.

"Councilmen of the Central 46, Captains of the Gotei 13: It is time we defend ourselves. It is time we stand up and retaliate to those that did us a grave wrong. Outside of Seiretei's very walls lies a garrison of Vandenreich soldiers. They sit in _Rukongai_, terrorising and farming the reiatsu of those who live there, whilst they mock us, sitting here passive. I will take those loyal to me, and my squad, and we will cleanse Soul Society from their presence before we launch an invasion of Hueco Mundo…"

Aizen's audience gasped. The Captains and Vice-Captains could not believe what they just heard.

"_An invasion of Hueco Mundo, are you mad!?"_

Shunsui quickly rushed to him. "Aizen, we have no means to carry out such a big invasion! The risk is too big for our side!" Shunsui's concerns were met with a knowing grin.

"Captain Kyoraku, in times like these we need a mad man. Risks need to be taken in war. There is no use sitting here and doing nothing. Their power base is located in Hueco Mundo and we will _destroy_ them." He looked over to the councilmen. "Grant me the authority over the forces of the Seiretei, the Gotei 13. I will utterly eliminate the Vandenreich, no matter who may be within their ranks. And if you don't then I will lead my forces into battle, and save our home."

Aizen looked over to a certain purple-haired young woman who wore the badge of the fifth division. "Hinamori-kun." Aizen spoke. She shrugged a little, followed by a nod. "Come over here." And she obeyed. She walked and stood beside her Captain Aizen.

"You should thank this brave young woman, Captains of the Gotei 13 and councilmen of the Central 46" his voice intonated once more. "Hinamori Momo of the fifth division has made your salvation possible." He looked over to Shunsui. "I also want to thank Captain Kyoraku Shunsui for his efforts to make my nomination possible."

The other Captains barked. Why in the world would Shunsui throw away his nomination for a condemned _traitor_? Why? Why would he betray Yamamoto like that? Only Unohana and Ukitake remained calm and neutral.

"_Why would a traitor and someone who wanted to destroy Soul Society and the fabric of our existence go this far!?"_

Aizen smiled, insidiously, then he laughed. He laughed for a long time, until there was again, complete silence. Then he looked directly at the councilman who addressed him with this question.

"Why, it is very simple, Councilman Shiron…"

Beads of sweat formed across the forehead of Shiron, and pulled his head back. Although Aizen could not see his eyes and face, he felt like he was being stared right through.

"…_An enemy of your enemy is your friend."_

Aizen stopped for a second, and then he turned away from the council, and proceeded to leave the dumbfounded room.

* * *

"Do you see them?"

"Yes, Nee-san."

"What do we do?"

A laugh. The person, clearly a female, looked at her companion.

"Attack them, _Ganju."_

* * *

**to be continued**

**sangokitty:** The difficulties for poor Momo and Sousuke are just beginning! Stay tuned to learn how she will master the new role that she will soon get.  
**kamji:** Big chance that Aizen will succeed Yamamoto as Head-Captain :D  
**HubrisP:** I have a few OCs planned out and will introduce them soon :D

Sorry for the late chapter.. Exams were killing me and I needed rest. I hope you liked the chapter and stay tuned for more!


	6. An unusual meeting

**Chapter 6: An unusual meeting**

.

Shortly after Aizen had ended his speech, he proceeded to leave the dumbfounded hall. No one said anything. Not the Captains, not the Vice-Captains, not the Central 46, not _Hinamori_. Everyone was dumbfounded.

Shunsui covered his eyes with his large Chinese straw hat to cover his embarrassment. This was the _one_ chance to get a suitable leader to take over and bring order into the chaos that Soul Society plunged into. One tiny, hopeful part in him wished that the Central 46 would accept Aizen's proposal. It was crazy to think that Shunsui handed his nomination over to Aizen, _Aizen_ of all people. He shook his head slightly.

Hinamori had similar thoughts. Her face was tilted in the direction that Aizen was leaving the hall. She raised her hand a little and clenched her fist, wanting to tell Aizen to stay in the room and await the Central 46's decision. Where was the strength she had while freeing Aizen when she needed it? Where was the courage she convinced her Third Seat _Akiyama_ to aid her in her cause to free Aizen and save Soul Society? Was all of it in shambles as of now?

"_Wait!"_

The voice of Councilman Shiron echoed throughout the high, hollow and morbid halls of the Central 46 chambers. And as if it was a command, Aizen stood still, just when he was about to step out the large port. The roar sent goose bumps down everyone's spines.

"Aizen Sousuke", Shiron cringed, a small hint of anger being in his voice, "We, the Central 46… have decided to accept your proposal."

Hinamori gasped. They accepted Aizen's proposal _that fast? _She slowly made a few steps forward and attempted to approach him, but stopped halfway through. Akiyama watched the scene critically, but had to admit that he himself was equally tense as his superior.

"Captain", Akiyama heard Hinamori's quiet and unstable voice, ridded with anxiety. "Captain… Aizen…" she murmured again. The most wanted criminal of the Gotei 13 did not regard her. Not _yet_.

Everyone in the hall awaited the councilmen's' next actions patiently, albeit with growing anticipation. It felt as if the scene stopped right there.

"We shall withdraw to decide on further actions." Shiron suddenly stated, to everyone's surprise.

As if right on cue, all councilmen arose and left the hall.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Rukongai, Ginjou and Tsukishima were fending off Oleg Van Linkin, a soldier of the Vandenreich's _Totenkopf Armee_. The army, whose title translated roughly into _skull army_, was – to the dismay of the Fullbringers – not an army of pushovers at all. Quite the contrary was true.

Ginjou's and Tsukishima's Fullbrings _Book of the End _and _Cross of Scaffold_ were countered for the most part by this unique specimen of a Quincy army. Ginjou retained deep injuries from this fight – injuries that would have killed him were he still a human being and not a _soul_ in Rukongai. Deep, bloody cuts were shown on his body, he himself felt seemingly exhausted, panting and desperately trying to counter Oleg's and the other henchmen's' attacks.

Tsukishima was worse off. Oleg chopped off his arm in an effort to protect himself, the unconscious Giriko and Ginjou, who would have been stabbed. Other than that, he was coughing blood and was on the verge of falling unconscious himself. It could be considered a _miracle_ that Tsukishima was still standing. Perhaps his admiration for Ginjou inspired him to persevere. Tsukishima, however, did not know what made him stand.

"Don't drop now, Tsukishima", Ginjou panted, concentrating on devising a strategy to get out of this fight and into safety. Tsukishima gulped, not saying anything but quietly agreeing with his comrade. He put all of his power into carrying Giriko and not losing his strength to do so.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Oleg suddenly laughed maniacally. "You are nothing short of _pathetic._"

Ginjou hissed hatefully at Oleg's remark, but didn't comment. "Look at yourselves" Oleg said derogating whilst pointing a finger at the miserable stature of the Fullbringers, "You can barely stand. I could knock you off with my pinky finger." He erratically moved his pinky finger, mocking his opponents. "Heh. You see that? _This_ is enough to knock you guys off and kill you."

"Shit…!" Ginjou hissed again. _This can't be the end. This can't be the end! _he thought as Oleg rose his sword.

"GINJOU!" Tsukishima screamed, but coughed blood once more, being too weak to rush in his comrade's defence. Images of Ginjou's death by Kurosaki Ichigo's hands rushed in his mind. Those painful, disgusting memories from the human world. He shut his eyes, not wanting to witness the horrifying spectacle repeating again, claiming Ginjou for good.

Blood was spilling all over Ginjou and Tsukishima. There was one strange thing to this, however. The blood was not Ginjou's. Nor was it Tsukishima's. Carefully, Tsukishima shut his eyes open again and witnessed a tall, humongous figure standing in front of Oleg who was cut in half. Ginjou lay on the ground. Unconscious.

Tsukishima's vision became blurry; he was not able to identify who the humongous figure was that saved him and his comrade from guaranteed demise. Soon, he too joined his comrade Ginjou and fell unconscious like a sac of potatoes. Giriko's body fell harshly on him.

* * *

"_In the Name of Soul Society and The Gotei 13, we hereby issue the following decree: Aizen Sousuke, former criminal of Muken in the Avici prison, is to be made Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Leader of the Seiretei and Captain of Division One – by this decree, he succeeds the late Captain-Commander Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto."_

Aizen was pleased. The newly appointed Captain-Commander approached the Councilman Shiron who handed over two things to him: The _haori_ as Captain of the first division and, to Hinamori's surprise, the _badge_ of the first division, belonging its Vice-Captain.

"Lieutenant" Akiyama quickly approached Hinamori and looked at her. "So, who do you think Captain Aizen will choose as his…. Vice-Captain?" This is where Hinamori became insecure and shook a little. She shook her head as she sensed what Akiyama was going to ask. Yes, she hoped that Aizen would choose _her_. The one who freed him from the prison.

"Ah.. You're hoping that you will be by his side once again, hm?" Akiyama asked quite cheerfully. Hinamori nodded hesitatingly. "It is not that easy… the first division is quite specialised – it is the Commodore after all, that gives out the central orders to the rest of the Gotei." She turned to look at Akiyama seriously. "More important than the Captain-Commander himself is the Vice-Captain of the first division. He or she is the Captain-Commander's right hand and usually in charge not only of his or her own division, but the entire Gotei 13."

Akiyama scratched his head. "So… whoever Captain Aizen chooses as his Vice-Captain will be one of the most important figures in Soul Society, correct?" Hinamori nodded.

"Captain Aizen is smart. Whoever he will choose is worthy."

After Aizen clothed himself with the haori of the first division, he once again went to the center of the hall, surrounded by all Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13.

"My first order as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 shall be the following", Aizen began, sounding in a solemn voice. Not like the leader of Hueco Mundo or leader of the fifth division, but an _actual_ leader of importance. "The following positions for Captaincy are made vacant: Division Six, Division Four, Division 11 and the Kidoshu."

"Wait… the 11th division? Does that mean that Captain Zaraki-"

"Captain Zaraki passed away a few hours ago, Captain Kyoraku." Aizen turned to Shunsui. "He died an honourable death against Juha Bach. His grave will be next to that of the deceased Captain-Commander Yamamoto." Aizen walked around the center, eyeing each of the Captains and Vice-Captains.

"Captain Kuchiki of Division Six is alive, but in a state of coma right now. The same is true for Vice-Captain Abarai." Everyone sighed in relief. "However, a temporary replacement for Captain Kuchiki must be found." Aizen suddenly stopped before Hinamori.

"Vice-Captain Hinamori of Division Five is known for her superb Kido proficiency. However, another trait is prevalent: Bravery. Bravery to save Soul Society from the Quincy. Those are traits of a _Captain_, not a mere Lieutenant."

Hinamori blushed. "Captain… Aizen.." No one dared to object. "Because of Vice-Captain Hinamori's superb traits, I have decided to award her the position of _Captain of the Kidoshu_ – the Kido squad." Everyone gasped. Hinamori? _Captain!?_ Already? Everyone knew of her abilities in Kido, but making her a Captain?

"Captain-Commander Aizen", Captain Unohana's stern voice sounded. "Vice-Captain Hinamori does not fulfil the central requirement for Captaincy: Bankai."

"You are correct, Captain Unohana. However, the Captain-class abilities of Hinamori-kun deserve a promotion. Let me remind you that the predecessor, Tsukabishi Tessai, also had no Bankai." Unohana said nothing. "Being Captain of the Kidoshu is the perfect position for someone like Hinamori-kun who has superb abilities, but no Bankai to be a regular Captain; otherwise I would have awarded her the Captaincy for Division Six."

Aizen then turned back to Hinamori who was struggling not to faint from embarrassment. "Hinamori-kun", Aizen spoke gently. "This is your reward. You have shown great courage when you freed me; an act that would normally be considered _treason_."

"Captain Aizen", she whispered. "Thank you… but… I hoped…" Her voice broke.

"What did you hope for, Hinamori-kun?" he asked gently once more.

"I hoped…" she took a deep breath. "I hoped… to become your Vice-Captain. Your right hand." Aizen smiled. Just what he _expected_ Hinamori would say. He was kinky. He knew what Hinamori craved – this is why he asked Shiron to give him the Division One Lieutenant badge as well. So that Hinamori would see it and desire to be his right hand once more; like she was – back when he was Captain of Division Five.

"Just as planned…" Aizen mused. "Hinamori-kun… do you understand the implication of such a statement?"

Hinamori nodded ferociously. She was determined to follow each and every rule Aizen, her direct superior, would set for her.

"_Swear."_ he spoke. "Swear allegiance to the first division and your Captain-Commander."

She took a sharp breath. _This was the moment of her life_. Back when Aizen didn't betray the Seiretei, she had always sought for a way to make it clear to him that her allegiance lied with him. Her heart was pounding fast. _Now was the time._

Just like Sasakibe before her, Hinamori slowly knelt down before the Captain-Commander with her head facing the ground. "I… I, Hinamori Momo, swear allegiance to Division One of the Gotei 13 and its Captain, Aizen Sousuke. " She paused, taking another deep breath. "I shall always be obedient to the Captain and swear not to abandon or betray the Division One under any circumstances. I will forever remain Vice-Captain of Division One." Aizen clapped his hands.

"Splendid, Hinamori-kun." he commented. "Now rise." Right on cue, Hinamori obeyed the order. Aizen took off the badge of the fifth division and handed it over to Hirako Shinji, the Captain of the fifth division. Aizen returned to Hinamori and carefully placed the badge of the _first division_ on her right arm. The others watched and did not comment.

"Hinamori-kun" Aizen spoke again after his new Vice-Captain looked over to the Captain's' looks. Captain Hitsugaya was regarding her with glares of resentment. But once she heard her beloved Captain's voice, she quickly turned her attention back to him. "When I said you will be Captain of the Kidoshu, I meant it." Hinamori's eyes widened.

"She can't be Captain and Vice-Captain at the same time, Aizen!" Captain Hitsugaya yelled. "You can't favour one person over the entire Gotei!"

"Yes, she can. Hinamori-kun will be my Vice-Captain and thus under my command, but she will operate the Kidoshu independently – as it will be part of Division One."

Everyone gasped once again. "You… you're planning to merge the Kidoshu with the first division?" Hitsugaya asked critically. Aizen nodded. "Akiyama-kun."

Third Seat Akiyama was caught in surprise and looked at Aizen. "Y-Yes, Captain Aizen?"

"You will be moved to the first division as well. Your abilities progressed very nicely over the coming years; you managed to effectively hide your reiatsu from the Vandenreich."

"Yes, sir!" Akiyama shouted with determination and bowed swiftly.

"Now… I will announce the replacement for Captain Zaraki." Aizen resumed his order. Handclaps echoed throughout the hall. Captains and Vice-Captains looked around, shouting "Who's there?" or "Show yourself!". Others wondered how an intruder could have sneaked inside when everyone was assembled.

"Splendid, truly splendid, Cap'n Aizen." the rather high-pitched male voice said and looked over to the dark-haired female Captain of the fourth division.

"_Congratulations, Re-chan."_

**to be continued**

* * *

That is the chapter :D Again, sorry for the delays… I have so much going on that impaired my writing skills. Sadly ;( Guess who the person is that sneaked into the hall ^_^

**kamji: **The Fullbringers will have a deeper role in the story. Aizen is certainly interested in them for their… uniqueness. And whether he betrays the Gotei again or not remains to be seen ^_^ Momo will have a deep role – she's his second-in-command after all.

**sangokitty: **Momo will certainly be under Sousuke's protection, especially from Toushiro's resentments. The relationship of Momo and Sousuke will be developed gradually as the story progresses. The AiHina flavours are strong in this one :)

**HubrisP:** Whether Ichi will be seduced into the Vandenreich's side remains to be seen. Right now, his current situation is unknown.

Okay, this is Reiuji, signing out. See you guys next chapter ^_^


End file.
